Utica driver accused of throwing heroin out window during police chase with toddler son in back seat

Utica, NY -- A Utica man was accused of throwing heroin out the car window during a high-speed police chase Thursday afternoon as his toddler son rode in the back seat.

"We knew he was throwing drugs out the window," Sgt. Steve Hauck said. "But when he stopped him, he had even more."

The driver eventually abandoned the vehicle with his young son in the back seat, police said.

Officers found suspect Robert Cooper, 30, of Maple Street, at a nearby residence. Several clear bags containing heroin were seized during the arrest, police said.

Utica police provided the following account:

The 12:30 p.m. chase started when an officer tried to pull over a car passing several others at a red light. The vehicle took off and officers stopped their pursuit due to surrounding hazards.

A short time later, officers in nearby New York Mills spotted the car and chased it back into the city, where more officers picked up the pursuit.

As the driver continued to flee, he threw an unknown quantity of heroin out of the window. Officers again abandoned the pursuit due to numerous hazards.

But minutes later, they found the vehicle ditched in a lot at York and Maple streets. After rescuing the toddler, officers located Cooper at his residence nearby.

He was charged with seven misdemeanors and 20 traffic violations. The misdemeanors were fleeing a police officer, criminal possession of a controlled substance, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, two counts of reckless driving, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child, police said.